| Submit your comments on this article |
| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Haniyeh hails Hamas victory on anniversary |
| 2009-12-15 |
| [Ma'an] Tens of thousands of Hamas supporters gathered in Gaza City's central square on Monday to mark the 22nd anniversary of the of the movement's founding. Hamas leader and de facto Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh hailed the gathering a sign of victory over what he said were Israel's attempts to eliminate the group, including last winter's three-week war. "Those who planned the war and executed it did not expect these crowds to come today waving their flags ... Hamas did not collapse after the war; the enemy leaders collapsed," he said. He also said Hamas would never give in to Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip, which includes a ban on construction materials need to rebuild from the war, which left more than 1,400 Palestinians dead. Thirteen Israelis also died. "After four years of blockade, we say the fortresses will never collapse and the castles will never be penetrated and we will never make political concessions," Haniyeh said, according to Reuters news agency. "We've overcome the arrests of '96 by the Palestinian Authority, we've overcome the targeted killings, and prior to that we overcame the expulsion to Lebanon, which made us a central body in the region and the world and gave us the regional and depth we have," he was also quoted as saying in news reports. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 AL-ARABIYA.NET > HAMAS {incl. other Islamist groups] WILL JOIN IRAN IFF ISRAEL ATTACKS. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2009-12-15 18:40 |